BRUTALITEAS - Blog

Christmas advent Calendar Fundraiser

12/26/2019

This holiday season, we decided to switch our fundraising up a bit! We recently did tea advent calendars, where we took $5 from each advent calendar sale to raise donations to grant wishes on One Simple Wish, an organization that helps to grant wishes for children and young adults impacted by foster care, abuse and neglect.

So, thanks to all of YOU that purchased our advent calendars, we were able to raise $235 to grant wishes on One Simple Wish! Check out what wishes we were able to grant.

We granted a wish for Justin to go to the San Diego Zoo since he is a HUGE animal lover (especially cats!) and loves to volunteer at his local SPCA. Justin even messaged us back to tell us how excited he was to be able to go to the zoo on Christmas Eve this year!

We also granted a wish for Glenda to spend a day having fun at Dave and Busters, since she was so kind and donated her own time to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity! We also granted a wish for a group home child to go to the movies, and a wish to contribute toward a bday gift for a young person working hard in college to get a higher education for themselves!

Thank you all for your support of our advent calendars! You all helped to brighten someone’s day ❤️❤️#brutaliteas #teaforacause #onesimplewish #givingisgood

Be Kind to All Kinds Fundraising event!

11/30/2019

In November, we partnered up with Sweet Music Academy to co-host a fundraising event called "Be Kind to All Kinds" (People & Animals).

This event was a fun, family friendly event with a handful of local musicians performing their own acoustic sets. We also used this event as a way to help raise food donations for Fulfill, and food/supply donations for the Volunteer Auxiliary for Animal Shelters Inc.

Thanks to your support of our Detoxic Avenger blend, donations at events, and purchases on our auction page, we were able to purchase $100 worth of much needed food and supplies for the Volunteer Auxiliary. Guests in attendance, as well as customers of Sweet Music Academy, were also so kind as to bring numerous food and supply donations for both organizations! The event was a great success, and very heartwarming!

Our Teas are now available for purchase at Sweet Music Academy!

7/2/2019

As many of you know, about a year ago we decided to close our shop in the New Egypt Flea Market Village, as we wanted to focus on finding something a little closer to home, and somewhere that we could do some of our own small events. Well, we weren't making all of that up...we promise! Believe us when we say that it's taken this whole time to figure it all out. Without getting into the full story, we'll just say we had to overcome some unexpected hurdles along the way. While the end result is not exactly what we originally had planned when we started, we are just thankful that we were able to come up with something after all of the time and effort we've put in since last year.

Having said all of that, we're excited to announce that our full line of teas will now be available for purchase inside of Sweet Music Academy's Performing Arts Center in Howell, NJ. I (Courtney) have worked at Sweet Music Academy for nearly 10 years. As a supporter of our business, Sweet Music has been so kind as to allow a designated area within their location to sell our teas.

We will only be doing what we like to call "pop-up hours" each month for customers to stop by and shop. What this means, is that each month we will set up a calendar that lists all of the dates/times in which BrutaliTeas (Adam & myself) will be there to assist customers who wish to purchase teas at this location. We ask that you only come to purchase teas at the designated times given each month. During our pop-up hours we may also host movie nights, fundraising events, or invite some other local area vendors to join us! We'll keep you posted about any special events/vendors during our pop-up hours on our Facebook page.

Our first pop-up date will be
Saturday - July 6th from 3 pm - 8 pm.

We will also have pop-hours on the
following dates in July:

Sunday - July 7th from 2 pm - 7 pm
Saturday - July 13th 3 pm - 8 pm
Saturday - July 20th 3 pm - 7 pm

We will list all of these dates and future dates as events on our Facebook page, so feel free to head over and check off if you're interested in stopping by. Hope to see you soon!

ADDRESS:
4038 Route 9 South in Howell, NJ
(You may also use 4042 Route 9 South in Howell, NJ for directions)

Sweet Music Academy is located in the Howell Shopping Plaza, which is conveniently located near the exit ramps for 195.

When Between the Buried and me posts about your tea....

6/16/2019

So, there's always that fear in the back of our minds (or at least in my anxiety ridden mind) that there's going to be some band out there that totally hates us parodying them with our tea...but so far any band that's found us or a tea parodying them has been so insanely awesome and even flattered by it!

We recently vended at the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market, and one of our customers informed us they wanted to buy some Between the Blueburied and Me for their cousin... who just happened to be in the band. We offered to gift it to them since it was going to a member of the band, but they were so awesome that they insisted on purchasing it.

Fast forward a couple of months, and we got surprised with this amazing little post on Instagram from Between the Buried and Me's very own drummer, Blake Richardson! We totally love it!

Hands down the BEST part about doing all of this are the reactions that we get from all of you when you see and try our teas...which is all smiles and laughs! It makes our hearts even happier to see when a band totally digs it, too! Thanks so much for the support Blake. Keep doing what your'e doing and being an inspiration to others! <3

The beautiful people...the beautiful people!

6/16/2019

It's been some time since we've updated you on all of the awesome people we've been sharing our tea with! Check it out!

Sharing some Rocky Road Picture show with meatloaf!

Malcolm MCDowell.. loved 'em all and even gave us an idea for a new blend that's coming soon!

Doug Bradley (Pinhead)
wondering what the hell raisins are doing in a tea

Adrienne King and a little Chai day the 13th!

The look of relief on Steven weber's face when you give him some chai ning and save him from lingering, drunken older women swooning over him....

Sharing the Crowconut with Rochelle Davis

Hey, Neve Campbell?!
What's your favorite tea? Screamsicle?!

GWar!!!!
disappointed that our Assam A go-Go does not contain any illegal substances.
Worthless humans!

Sharing some Chai Ning with Danny Lloyd

Richard Dreyfuss is going to need a bigger cup for his jams!

Some night of the living red apple for
john russo

Derek mears loved his chai day the 13th!

Tea for a cause Donations Made so far for 2019!

6/1/2019

Look at me now!

Hi Friends!

Just wanted to post an update on what we've been doing with our Tea for a Cause Donations!

As you may or may not know, last year we trapped a total of 7 cats just outside of our home. With the help of the rescue we volunteer with, we were able to get all of those 7 cats spayed/neutered, and 6 of them homed into loving families (mama cat was returned to her environment and is still cared for).

Just when we thought we did our part on controlling the feral/stray cat issue on our block, in February a new little guy showed up at our house who appeared to be just under a year old. I knew in my heart when I saw him that he had to be saved and that he COULD be saved seeing as he was still young and not completely feral.

After weeks of earning his trust, I was able to trap our little friend. I spent over a month socializing kitty to help him find his forever home. During this time, someone near and dear to us saw him and fell in love. They knew he was "the one".

Before taking him to his new furever home, he was taken to our local area SPCA for all vaccinations and neuter, as no cat/kitten should be adopted out otherwise. Upon his neuter surgery, the veterinarian found that he had an umbilical hernia that was about the size of a fist. This is a very significant size, and can be very dangerous if not corrected. Without question, we agreed to taking care of the expenses for this surgery. We wanted what was best for kitty, and we didn't want his new family to have to worry about this unexpected medical expense (Roughly $125).

We are happy to say that all went well with surgery, and "Moon" has since gone home with his new family. He is making leaps and bounds getting comfortable with being an indoor kitty, and allowing his humans to love and care for him.

I cannot say it enough times to PLEASE spay and neuter your animals. It makes a huge difference in controlling the amount of homeless animals out there! No domesticated animal should be left to fend for itself outdoors, and they certainly shouldn't be bringing more innocent lives into the world that can't be cared for either.

Thank you all so much for continuing to support our Tea for a Cause, so we can help pets such as Moon get the care that they deserve!

Happy Tails Moon!!

We were also able to make small donations to the following local area rescues to contribute towards urgent medical care needed for animals in shelters that were time-stamped for euthanasia unless pulled by a rescue.

Non Lethal Options for Animals Inc- $20
NJ Aid for Animals - $10
PURR-Philadelphia Urgent Rescue & Relief - $20

Holiday tea for a cause fundraiser

12/31/2018

Thanks to your support of our advent calendars and donations at recent events, we were able to drop off supplies to the Volunteer Auxiliary for Animal Shelters Inc. that are always in need; Including dry and wet foods, litter, kitten formula, blankets, and treats & toys for pups and kitties! If you’re local and looking to adopt, or if you are looking for a great rescue to donate to...please give them a follow! Such a great organization that we are happy to volunteer our time with! 💕🐶🐱💕

Fall Donations made

11/15/2018

Please click on the images below to learn more about the families we donated to that could still use a little help!

We've kept very busy this fall, and we were able to make some nice donations thanks to your support of our Detoxic Avenger blend and your kind donations. We were able to donate $50 each to two families on Paws 4 A Cure, a $50 donation to the Volunteer Auxiliary for Animal Shelters, and a small $10 donation to Noah's Ark Rescue Project and Sanctuary.

While it may not seem like a lot we can assure you for every donation made to a non-profit, every little bit adds up in the end and helps far more than you realize! So having said that, never feel like a donation you make to any organization you support is too small! Thanks again for your kindness and compassion. We truly have the best customers! <3

Please check out our limited edition advent calendar on our online store. We'll be taking 20% of all sales made from this item to purchase pet supplies for The Volunteer Auxiliary for Animal Shelters to donate just in time for the holidays!

Donation also made to Sweet Little quincy

May/June Donations

7/3/2018

Hello again everyone! We're happy to say we were recently able to make some donations, thanks to your generosity and support! We were able to make a donation on Paws 4 a Cure, a donation to the Volunteer Auxiliary for Animal Shelters, and a small donation to the National Canine Cancer Foundation! The donations made to Paws 4 a Cure and the Volunteer Auxiliary will help furry friends with medical treatments they are in need of, and we of course, love to contribute to the Canine Cancer Foundation in hopes that one day a cure can be found to stop this ugly disease. Again, we can't thank you enough for taking a little time out of your day at the events we attend, to chat with us, tell us your stories, and for your contributions. This something that means a lot to us, and we hope to continue to help as much as we can in the years to come. Thank you again everyone!

Click the image above to view buddy's story

Time to say Goodbye....

5/5/2018

While it saddens us to say this, May will be our last month at the New Egypt Flea Market Village. It was a difficult decision, but a necessary one at this stage in our business. Our friends at Butterflies & Heliotropes in Building 12E are being so kind as to allow us to set up a small space in their shop, so that our teas will still be available at the village! While the selection will be smaller than in our storefront, we will update the flavors each month to still offer a variety to everyone. Special thanks to Arlene & Tina for their kindness!

We have to say that we've loved our time at the village. We've met so many great and genuinely kind people while there, and loved the opportunity it provided us as a small, growing business. We appreciate the Heller family for creating such a great little space for growing businesses, and we will always have a special place in our hearts for the village.

While we will miss being there, we will definitely continue to go and support the village as customers. We encourage you all to do the same! It's a little hidden gem with some really great people there!

Our last day will be Sunday - May 27th.